A very Happy New Year to everyone!
Things have been a bit quiet on the blog since I’ve been on a bit of a break, and following up on a New Year resolution to catch up on some of the things I’ve been meaning to do. I think I’m off to a good start with a recent visit to Mysore!
The city of Mysore, a little over 140 km from Bangalore, and 118 km from Mercara, is a place I have spent almost no time in to speak of. On our journeys home to Coorg, we rarely drove into the city, preferring to bypass it in the interests of a more direct journey. Among the few standout childhood memories I have of the city are of a visit to the zoo, one of the oldest in the world, and some enormous, utterly delicious dosas at Dasaprakash!
I have long wanted to spend time exploring this lovely city. Sleepy, gently breezy, its boulevards lined with magnificent trees, Mysore has managed to hold on to much of its old fashioned charm. On my recent trip, I was quite taken with its curious mix of palaces, bungalows, temples, and markets. Devaraja market in particular is a place I have wanted to explore at leisure. I finally got there, and though this was a brief visit, I just know I will be going back!
Nice post , Mysore does deserve an honourable post here ! Sadly we too have always bypassed this lovely, elegant city in a rush to reach Coorg. So the next time we should rectify this . The pictures of Devaraja market are lovely. The tiny vegetables, those are the real Mc Coy, they are mostly quite fresh and have so much more flavour and taste compared to the humongous big daddies one sees in bigger outlets . I remember my father would always buy vegetables from the lady shopkeepers, his logic being that she had to work doubly hard , as she would be doing all the housework as well and moreover would spend the earnings wisely and not blow it up in the nearest Hooch shop on the way back home . The lady selling betel nut leaves looks so poised and her little artistic touches are a delight . The bold orange red wall and dramatic curtains are beautifully striking . It is such a pleasure to see vegetables on a simple gunny sack on the floor arranged with military precision in rows and columns , they remind me of soldiers in a formation. The dosa at Dasprakash can no longer be given a miss! And the field beans .. reminds me , I must pick up a batch quick before their short season is over .
Yes, this woman really has that ‘lakshanathra’ look. And she is giving you that slightly indulgent vibe, isn’t she? Georgeous pics.
the reason most karnivourous kodavas bypass mysore is because the market is a vegetarian’s delight! I know many coorgs who stop on the b’lor-mysore highway BEFORE they reach the by-pass going to coorg, and buy many kilos of Bannur mutton which is then consumed for breakfast-lunch- and-dinner over the next few days back on the estate.
Hi Kavitha,
the lady was really a star! I was off in a corner , trying to take a discreet pic, when she directed me to come closer and make sure to get the “god pictures” (Mysore royalty included!) in too!!
And it’s so true about the market being a bit of a write off for a lot of the clan – it was all about Bannur mutton and there was a place near the Hunsur bypass where they sold sweet water shrimp 😉